Biden-Macron to announce ceasefire in Lebanon.
The United States has said that Lebanon and Israel are very close to a ceasefire agreement. Several sources have said that an agreement on this could be announced within the next 36 hours.
According to a Reuters report, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel within the next 36 hours under the existing plan.
Meanwhile, the country’s State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the United States is continuing strong diplomatic efforts to implement the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.
Matthew Miller said at the State Department’s regular briefing on Monday, “Although we have not yet made an agreement, we are very close to an agreement. We have made significant progress on the areas of disagreement, although there are still some steps that need to be taken to get closer.” We hope to achieve them soon.’
The British media outlet BBC says, ‘A 60-day ceasefire has been proposed to end the fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. It is reported that it includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the end of Hezbollah’s presence in the area.’
The BBC also quoted a Western diplomat on condition of anonymity as saying, ‘The agreement will include an increase in the presence of the Lebanese army in the areas vacated by Israel and Hezbollah. White House national security spokesman John Kirby also said that an agreement is ‘close’ and that talks are on the right track.’
The BBC report also said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to the agreement.
Meanwhile, several Israeli media outlets, citing officials in Jerusalem, Washington and Beirut, said the ceasefire proposal had not yet been approved. Several issues still need to be discussed, but Tel Aviv had approved the main principles of the ceasefire proposal.
Lebanese Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab said there were no serious obstacles to the ceasefire.
However, Israel’s hard-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gavir opposed the ceasefire agreement and called it “a serious mistake” on social media. He said, “Now is a ‘historic opportunity’ to militarily push back and destroy Hezbollah.”
Earlier, US special envoy Amos Hochstein visited Beirut, Jerusalem and Lebanon last week to meet with all parties. “This is their last chance to move forward with a possible deal,” he said.
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